TGIF

Hey, It's Friday!! Mr W worked outside all day, mulching stuff and putting in a gravel path to better access the top of the back garden.

He pulled out tons of weeds and rocks to make the berm by the bird feeder look better.

He says eventually there will be shrubs in the mulched area.

The gravel path.

I worked in the studio, multi-tasking three things at once. I loaded and quilted a big customer quilt on Millie, continued the stitch in the ditch on the applique quilt (until my feet hurt and I had to switch tasks), and sewed the remaining tie blocks. I have begun sewing the quilt top together and hope to have it ready for quilting tomorrow.

Another king sized quilt! I do like the color combination.
It is for a wedding present.

The customer requested Quilter's Dream cotton, so the definition is not the best.
Panto: Stacked Snailz

The back is pieced with more fabrics from the top.

This row is done and there are two more to go before the decorative quilting starts. Going around all those little pieces is tedious, but so worth it! The motifs, like the filagree heart, just pop.

Sewing the tie blocks into a top.

Many more vertical rows to sew, and more blocks on the ironing surface.

I leave you with some more pictures of Mr Wazoo's artistry.

A Father's day gift gets a home

The plants keep the water clean without having to use chemicals. The birds love it!

Bee balm and a garden gee-gaw raccoon

Bright pink phlox.

The butterfly bush is about 6 feet tall!!

At the end of the day, watering the new grass seeds.

Butterfly bush flower cluster.

Another ornament saved from our Door County, WI home.

Garden sentinels. Only one has birds in it.

Our flying pig gee-gaw

Our 'mutant' squirrel

Mr W's garden fairies.

6:30PM in the mountains. Beautiful!

Are we boring?

My daughter called last night to check in and see what we're up to. I told her we were quilting and working in the yard most days. She seemed incredulous that we do the same thing every day. I pointed out that she and the rest of the kids aren't like a house on fire either...Get up, eat breakfast, work all day, go home, eat, maybe go out to sporting event or entertainment of some kind, go to bed. Lather, rinse, repeat!! Just because the things we do don't look exciting to the younger set, doesn't mean we aren't enjoying life!! I'm not bored with what I'm doing, or I wouldn't be doing it.
Okay, I'm done venting about the younger generation!
Yesterday, Gail and I worked on stuffing envelopes for show publicity, and mailing them to 80 quilt guilds and shops. Instead of going to town to do this, we drove to Cleveland, GA and to Quilt-n' Kaboodle quilt shop and poked around for a bit. I bought a gizmo that my friend Audrey had at retreat that cuts the thread between chain pieced blocks. I love it!! I got my money's worth out of it when I got home, making the blocks for the second tie quilt. Here are the blocks I have finished...there are many more to make before I sew it all together.

Ties on the design wall. It is coming together!

Mr Wazoo worked outside after completing one small customer quilt. He had a dickens of a time with the wavy outer border, so I helped him with each quilt advance to baste it into submission. Ladies, you have to measure before sewing those borders on!!

Pretty little quilt with some border difficulties.

Panto: Yodel

Nice yellow backing

While I sewed the ties, Mr W weeded and moved some rocks around outside, making the yard tidy again. I am so fortunate to have a husband who enjoys yard work. Our property is always a pleasure to enjoy.

The wild blackberries all along the driveway are loaded with fruit.

Some are starting to ripen, but it is a battle to see who gets to them first; us or the deer and bears!

The hydrangea we planted last year has exploded in size and has loads of blooms starting to open.

Color has given way to lush greenery now that Summer is in full swing

I think it's time to get some chairs out by the fire pit and watch the stars (and the space station) go by while toasting some marshmallows!

My gardener, taking a break at the end of a busy day.

I bought him another pair of his favorite shoes in a new color.  That ought to show those pesky kids how exciting we are!! ha ha!

Molly is looking a bit like a sheep, so she will go for a 'fluff-and-buff' next week.

Not much happening

I haven't posted much this week, as I have been doing quite boring stuff. The stitch in the ditch on the Baltimore album quilt is progressing slowly...all that beautiful (and tiny) applique needs to be anchored with a close SID. It will be even more lovely when it is done. I have been cutting the pieces for the second tie quilt (this one for the daughter) and have finally finished that task.

Piles of tie parts ready for sewing

I'm hoping the quilt will be big enough for a lap size after sewing. Fingers crossed!

Mr Wazoo took an AC break and came indoors during the hottest part of the day to quilt a bit. He finished this quilt and now I have to make and apply the binding. I have been in a binding mode lately, finishing all three charity quilts I sewed at the retreat. I should be able to finish this one off today.

It has a fun twist on Log cabin for the blocks

Panto: Small Splat. The customer chose the turquoise thread.

I really like the olive fabric on the back. All the colors of the quilt are in it.

While I cut all those ties and added the three bindings, I used Millie to quilt this low volume king sized quilt. It is so big, each row took a half hour to do! Wow! Two days of quilting, and it's done.

Hard to distinguish the blocks, but beautiful nonetheless.

Panto: Paradise Feathers

More neutral backing.

My Dad called from Texas last night, and he is holed up in his house, surrounded by ten inches of flood waters! Seems they had a brutal storm with torrential rain, leaving the park under water. A kind neighbor has taken his dog, Millie, to higher ground a couple of times a day to relieve herself, and Dad is staying inside (it's 100 degrees there) and waiting it out. This year has sure been one for wild weather and storms. We have had some hum-dingers here, too, and my friends in Wisconsin have had floods and unseasonable cold. Climate change? Yup.

I'm off to the studio to multi-task another day. I have to get sewing on the ties, continue ditching the applique quilt, and load the next Millie project. There are a couple of customers coming with quilts, too, so I had better get changed from jammies into some presentable clothes!!